History and Timeline of Puritan Medical Products

Our History

A Century of Improving Life in Ways Large and Small

The world and the industries we serve have changed in ways people from 1919 could never have imagined. Here’s a look at some of the bigger moments down through the years.

1919

Open for Business

Lloyd Cartwright establishes the Minto Toothpick Company in Saginaw, Michigan, where he creates and sells mint-flavored toothpicks.

1920 – Ice Cream on a Stick

The Good Humor ice cream company says that confectioner Harry Burt invents ice cream on a stick, and Good Humor is granted a patent in 1923.

1920s

Product Diversification

Puritan starts developing a range of products, such as ice cream sticks and spoons, candy sticks, steak markers, cocktail forks, tongue blades and manicure sticks. Products were sold under the brand names GoldBond and Trophy, which are the same brands used today by our sister company Hardwood Product Co., LLC.

1923 - Cotton Swab Invented

After watching his wife affix wadded cotton to the tip of a toothpick, Leo Gerstenzang creates a solution to cleaning hard-to-reach spots (like the ear).

1928

On to Medical Woodenware

Puritan enters the medical woodenware market with the introduction of tongue depressors and aseptic wood applicators.

1938 – Flu Vaccine Invented

Jonas Salk and Thomas Francis develop the first flu vaccine. The vaccine, along with the use of cotton swabs for specimen collection, helps protect US forces against the flu during World War II.

1948

Puritan Brand Trademarked

The well-known Puritan® brand is trademarked, and all Puritan medical products bear the name and logo.

1950

New Address, New Name

With business booming, Cartwright moves to Guilford, Maine, to be closer to a supply of white birch. There, operations resume as Hardwood Products Company.

1960

Disaster and Recovery

After fire in 1958 destroys the plant and warehouse, dedicated owners and employees immediately start building a new facility that opens in 1960. Most of the specialized machinery was built by company personnel on site as it was not available for purchase on the open market.

1965

Move Toward Specialization

Puritan decides to become more heavily involved in the production of medical and healthcare products. The decision is made to enter the cotton tipping and sterile pack market laying the groundwork for a future in the development of swabs and specimen collection devices.

1978

FDA Approval Secured

Puritan registers as a medical device manufacturer with the federal Food and Drug Administration.

2000 – Forensics in our Homes

CSI premieres on CBS, launching the use of forensic science – and cotton swabs! – into the popular TV police drama genre and America’s cultural consciousness.

2001

Second Product Patented

Puritan releases its second patented product, the DM™ Wound Measuring device. It joins the Popule®, a sterile foam swab for use in the field for collection of trace DNA.

2002

From One Company to Two

Hardwood Products Company reorganizes as two affiliated limited liability companies, Hardwood Products Company and Puritan Medical Products. Production remains in Guilford and under founding family ownership.

2005

Evidence of Ingenuity

Puritan introduces Cap-Shure® DNA specimen collection device to the world of forensics.

2006

Line Expansion

Puritan’s PurSwab line expands, adding a new array of specialty swabs for lint-sensitive applications.

2009 – WHO Calls, Puritan Answers

The World Health Organization applies its highest alert level to the worldwide swine flu pandemic, Puritan goes all-out to boost production of specimen collection devices. That same year, home ancestry DNA kits enter the marketplace.